Balance Markers in Adolescents at 1 Month Postconcussion

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Balance deficits after concussion in adolescents may persist longer than indicated by standard assessments.
• The Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) suggests rapid balance recovery, but center of pressure (COP) measures reveal prolonged deficits up to one month post-concussion.
• Limited research exists on diverse balance assessment tools for adolescent concussion recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare balance assessment performance between adolescents one month post-concussion and healthy controls.
• To evaluate the utility of center of pressure (COP) measures in identifying subtle balance impairments in adolescents after concussion.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 33 adolescents one month post-concussion and 33 controls.
• Participants completed the BESS and then underwent two 2-minute trials on a Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB) measuring COP.
• Testing included double-leg stance with eyes open (EO), eyes closed (EC), and a dual-task (DT) condition.

Main Results:

• Adolescents post-concussion exhibited significantly larger COP sway ellipse areas in EO, EC, and DT conditions compared to controls.
• Faster mediolateral (M/L) COP velocity was observed in the DT condition for the post-concussion group.
• No significant differences in BESS total scores were found between the two groups.

Conclusions:

• Adolescents one month post-concussion demonstrate persistent balance deficits in COP control, undetected by the BESS.
• Simple COP measures effectively identify subtle balance impairments missed by the BESS in this population.
• Advanced balance assessments are crucial for comprehensive concussion recovery monitoring in adolescents.